I had been saving this recipe to try from the April 2007 Better Homes and Garden magazine. This is a very good steak. Good but different. The basil gives it a really fresh unique flavor. I didn’t use tenderloins (they were outrageously priced). Instead I used small cuts of beef loin top. I am sure that it would have been much better with tenderloins but for a week night meal I didn’t feel like spending over $13 a pound!
Steak de Burgo (Better Homes and Garden, April 2007)
1/4 c butter, softened (divide use)
3 Tbsp fresh snipped basil (or about 2 Tbsp dried basil) (divided use)
4 4-oz beef tenderloin steak
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
2 cups fresh mushrooms, quartered
1. In a small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp of the butter and 2 Tbsp fresh basil (or just over 1 Tbsp dried), save for later. Set aside the remaining butter and basil. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet* cook garlic in hot oil and the remaining butter over medium-low heat for 4-6 minutes or until garlic begins to brown, stirring occasionally. With a slotted spoon, remove the garlic, discard.
3. Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining basil and steaks. Cook steaks in skillet, turning once. Allow 10-13 minutes for medium-rare (145 degrees) to medium (160 degrees). Transfer steaks to serving platter; top each with the butter and basil mixture.**
4. Add mushrooms to skillet. Cook and stir until tender and brown, about 3 minutes. Spoon mushrooms over steaks.
Notes:
*I really like cast iron skillets for cooking steaks. They really conduct the heat well.
**I have a really cheap electric oven. One thing (the only thing) I really like about it it that the oven is vented out underneath one of my back burners. I can easily keep things warm by placing them on that burner. In the case of the steaks, I simply placed my platter on the burner (with the burner turned off of course) and was able to keep the steaks nice and hot while I cooked my mushrooms. The only reason I mention this is that it took me 5 years to figure this out!